Graeme Souness drops both Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka as he names 2 surprise players while picking England XI for 2022 World Cup opening game against Iran
talkSPORT pundit Graeme Souness has picked his starting XI for England's first match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup against Iran on November 21.
The Three Lions will announce their final 26-man squad for the tournament in Qatar on Thursday (November 10). The world is waiting to see who will end up making the cut.
Meanwhile, Souness has shared his pick as he left out Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka, who have been on fire this season.
The former Liverpool captain chose the 5-3-2 formation for England, starting Jordan Pickford between the sticks. He picked a trio of Kyle Walker, John Stones, and Harry Maguire deployed as center halves. Reece James and Kieran Trippier occupy the right-back and left-back spots respectively.
Reece James is refusing to give up on his dream of joining the England squad in Qatar for the World Cup and has spoken to specialists who believe he could be ready to play by the end of the month.
[via @andydillon70] twitter.com/AbsoluteChelse…
Explaining his picks, Souness told talkSPORT:
“[Jordan] Pickford. He’s the man in possession. So I’m going three [centre-halves] at the back, Kyle Walker, John Stones and Harry Maguire.”
Cutting in, Simon Jordan asked Souness if there was any room for Arsenal’s versatile defender Ben White.
To which Souness joked:
“Whose team is it?”
Naming his wing-backs, Souness remarked:
“If fit, I’d have Reece James on the right and Kieran Trippier on the left.”
Moving to midfield, Souness opted for James Maddison, Declan Rice, and Mason Mount. However, he later dropped the Chelsea man after realizing that he had 12 players in his line-up.
“I’ve got James Maddison in midfield with Declan Rice and Mason Mount,” he continued.
One of our best goals at a @FIFAWorldCup 🤩
Happy birthday, Joe Cole!
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Joking about his mistake, he quipped:
“I looked at the squad of players and thought, ‘how could England beat Iran? I know, we’ll go with 12′ and see if we can get away with it.”
In his attack, the Scotsman decided to stick with Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, and Phil Foden, saying:
“Up front, Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling and Harry [Kane].”
Saka's exclusion from Souness' lineup could surprise many. He has been in prolific form for Arsenal this season, registering five goals and six assists in 19 matches in all competitions.
When will England kick off their World Cup campaign?
England will kick off their World Cup outing on November 21, when they take on Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium. They'll then lock horns with the USA in their second fixture of the tournament on November 25. The Three Lions will play their final group phase match against Wales on November 29.
After crashing out at the semi-final stage of the competition back in 2018, England will be determined to go even further this year.